Weekend Essentials #15: Gear for the Road

Kicking off February 2017 proper with these four new things — a bike, a bag, a kayak, and a jacket. Can’t go wrong with that.

Justin Case Kayak

Oru’s folding kayaks look more or less like traditional kayaks. And while the Justin Case Kayak doesn’t, there’s a good reason for this: it’s actually far more portable than any kayak before it. Instead of rigid parts the Justin Case features a solid but lightweight tubular carbon fiber frame held together by 3D-printed connectors. This frame is then wrapped in a durable and waterproof ripstop nylon skin, the whole building process taking about 10 minutes and resulting in a kayak good for holding up to 300 pounds. Carrying one around is a pleasure considering it weighs just 5.7 pounds — frame and skin combined — and since it collapses down to about the size of a baguette it’ll barely occupy any trunk space. [via]

Topo Designs Puffer Hoodie

When you can get two items rolled into one stylish package, you should definitely jump on it. That’s the case with the Topo Designs Puffer Hoodie, a two-for-the-price-of-one deal coming from a company that knows how to blend top-notch functionality and simple style.

Filled with high-quality PrimaLoft and featuring a tailored fit, it’s the perfect jacket to throw on for either a casual coffee run or a weekend out and about in the mountains. The color blocked design and unique blend of blues are also neat design touches that not many companies can lay claim to having, and the nylon ripstop fabric adds durability to go along with neat, retro-inspired looks.

It’s also compressible and easily packable — those are both big pluses as you pack up for a weekend road trip or an overnight camping adventure. If this all sounds too good to be true, it’s not — buy this jacket as soon as possible. [via]

1999 Harley-Davidson MT500 Military

If there ever was the perfectly-rare motorcycle for a collector, this 1999 Harley-Davidson MT500 is it. Only 500 of these military motorcycles ever left the company’s York, Pennsylvania factory between 1993 and 2000, and this particular one not only shows 0 miles on the odometer, but has also never been started.

The rare collector’s motorcycle is battlefield-ready thanks to an Army green color scheme complete with a mounted plastic gun case, and mounted front ammo panniers. Place your bid before lunch tomorrow to add it to your growing collection. [via]

Arc’teryx Voltair 30 Avalanche Backpack

This is one product you’ll really, really hope to never actually put to the test. In the rare and unfortunate event that you do, though, the Arc’teryx Voltair 30 Avalanche Backpack might just save your life. Instead of gas cartridges the Voltair uses an electric centrifugal blower powered by a rechargeable LiPo battery, achieving identical pressure and fill speeds as traditional systems but with several added benefits, including pulsing of additional air once full to keep the 150 litre balloon inflated even in the event of small punctures on rocks and the like. Its electric and quickly reusable nature also allows for testing the system in the field so you know what to expect if you ever need to pull the trigger, and a charge can easily provide multiple deployments in a single day — that is, if you’ve got the guts to head back out after an avalanche. It’ll of course also hold 30 litres of your other gear as well and plays nice with the TSA, unlike compressed gas cartridges. [via]